WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Legends of the Dark Knight #4 by Darick Robertson, Richard P. Clark, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland, on sale now.
Gotham City has endured many cataclysmic events in the past, from the events of “Zero Year” to the more recent mayhem caused by Bane and Joker. In the latest chapter of the digital-first series Legends of the Dark Knight, the scars of Gotham’s 80-year history are on full display, especially when it comes to one major event from the 90s.
Batman takes to the abandoned area of Gotham City as he attempts to decipher a mysterious riddle, recounting the history of the buildings he sees and also the history of how they came to be in their current state. More than once the Caped Crusader refers to a major event previously written out of DC continuity — the “cataclysm”. This refers to the earthquake that devastated Gotham in the 90s and led to the “No Man’s Land” event.
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“No Man’s Land” was caused by the US Government’s response to the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that ravaged the city. The government evacuated residents who were willing to leave the city and abandoned the rest, blowing up bridges leading in and out of the island and posting army troops to ensure no one could leave the city. Those who refused to leave were stuck in a lawless and desperate city that was carved up and split by the many villains recently let loose from Arkham Asylum.
Thanks to the financial and political efforts of Lex Luthor (who saw the carnage as an business opportunity), Gotham was rebuilt and rejoined the US. However this was not without great damage being done to the city and its inhabitants. With Batman having left for months to fight for the city as Bruce Wayne, he lost the trust and belief of many in the city, not least of which was Commissioner Gordon, whose wife was murdered by the Joker during the chaos.
In the latest issue of Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman’s investigation leads to Amusement Mile. He talks about how it’s been abandoned, crumbling away, with its once glorious hotels and casinos now reduced to a home for rats.
As Batman enters the casino, the destruction that still remains after the earthquake is even more evident. As he walks through the rubble he calls it “barely recognizable” compared to what it was. While the other structures seem somewhat recognizable, the inside of this casino is a literal wreck, showing how even after all these years some parts of the city still suffer as much damage as they did when the earthquake struck.
This wasn’t always the case until recently. After Flashpoint and DC’s New 52 relaunch, much of the old history of the DC Universe, including “No Man’s Land”, was considered non-canon. With the size of the event and the breadth of titles it spanned, it seemed wasteful for the event to be lost.
The impact still felt by the event in this issue of Legends of the Dark Knight is one of many recent examples of DC reclaiming its rich history in the wake of Synder and Capullo’s Dark Nights: Death Metal. With such a wide variety of stories coming back into continuity, another layer is added to the already rich tapestry of the DC Universe.
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